“The Italian government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation are taking the lead in promoting and protecting Italian agribusiness and championing our food model all over the world” said the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Hon. Manlio Di Stefano, at the event to present the fourth edition of the Italian Cuisine Week in the World held today in Rome. Contributions were also made at the event by the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, Sen. Teresa Bellanova, representatives from the agricultural and food industry, nutrition experts and Michelin star-winning chefs.
The fourth edition of the Italian Cuisine Week in the World will be celebrated from 18 to 24 November with conferences, concerts, exhibitions, tastings, gala dinners and cooking courses coordinated by our diplomatic and consular offices; the theme will be “Food Education: the Culture of Taste”. It will be a chance to provide information and reflections on lifestyle, different food models and their effects on health (with a special focus on the Mediterranean Diet) in tandem with activities taking place to promote the Italian agribusiness.
In the three previous editions of Italian Cuisine Week, over 4500 events were held in 110 countries, involving public institutions, universities, cooking academies and schools, chambers of commerce, trade associations and networks of certified Italian restaurants who joined forces to give the world a taste of the best of our food and wine traditions.
The new edition of Italian Cuisine Week focuses on aspects of taste education and a balanced and proper food model and its guidelines include showcasing and rediscovering the territories of origin of our typical products, along with actions to counter the “Italian sounding” issue. Special attention will be paid to the “Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene” which this year are celebrating their addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The week will also give an opportunity to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, a man who invented various innovative kitchen implements, with numerous cultural activities linked to the anniversary.
Undersecretary Di Stefano also announced that the events to be held in the United States will specially focus on promoting the Italian food products hit by trade tariffs as a first step in a series of short, medium and long-term support measures already put in place by the government.
